Thursday, June 3, 2010

Jeanne and Dexter do it. Judy and Sheila do it. Dawn and Dede do it. Betty n' Barney, Pat n' Dave, and Calle n' Aldon all do it too. Doing food runs is fun and its special. Doing food runs with friends or family is even more fun and even more special. Here's why:

from Food Runners volunteer William N:

My niece (age 7) and my nephew (age 11) were in town for Passover and offered to help me with my food run. Our first stop was at Whole Foods on California Street. We made our way through the labyrinthian loading dock to the prep kitchen and announced ourselves. Not knowing what to expect, the kids were a bit nervous. When they saw the smiles and warm greetings we received, they perked up immediately. The kids eagerly helped carry the food to the car. Then we headed to Caduceus Outreach Services for our delivery where the kids got to ask Administrative Director Eileen Norman questions and tell her how great it was that there are special services for the homeless. Besides being fun, I believe that sharing my Food Runners experience with my niece and nephew made them more aware that there are simple ways that people of any size can help those less fortunate than themselves. The kids talked about their experience that evening at the family Seder.

From FR vol-unteer Ron K.:

Last Thanksgiv-ing, I found myself with no-thing to do. I thought I'd help out at a local soup kitchen. I made a few calls but was rejected. Turns out that vol-unteering at a soup kitchen over the holi-days is a hot ticket. There were volunteers aplenty and no room for one more. A friend referred me to Food Runners. The dispatcher promised to give me a choice run since I would be driving all the way up from San Carlos. I was hooked immediately and signed up to do the run on a weekly basis. My 18 year old son often accompanies me. He will be leaving for college soon. We share coffee and laughs on the way up. The food run is a really great gig. I do it for the bonding, the travel opportunity, the ritual and in the end, the knowledge that I have helped someone who I will never know.

From Food Runners volunteer Judy E.:

Every week my friend Sheila and I pick up and deliver for Food Runners. We are a good team, enjoying our friendship while helping those less fortunate. I usually drive and if parking is an issue (in San Francisco??), Sheila goes in to make the pick ups. No parking tickets on our food runs! Because of Sheila's height, we never worry about the delivery areas. The food is always well received and truly appreciated. At times we are offered coffee or a signed card as a thank you along with willing hands to help unload the food.

From Food Runners volunteer Jeanne M.:

My sons, Matthew (27) and Kevin (22) were doing food runs with me from Odwalla Juice back when Odwalla was just two guys in a warehouse throwing parties that included a rug tossed down on the cement floor and people dancing to fantastic bands that performed all night. Matt was about 5 years old at the time and Kevin was 1. Both have fond memories of the the folks at Samaritan House offering them donuts upon the drop off. The folks at Samaritan House used to call me the "Juice Lady." Matthew lives in San Francisco now and Kevin lives in Knoxville. Though they are not currently Food Runners, I suspect that someday soon, they will be.

From volunteer Jeanne S.:

I like to do runs with my son Dexter. He just turned 6. Running food is a great and easy way for him to experience helping people in our community. It's a simple concept for a child to understand - some people have extra food - lots of people don't have enough. Dexter and I are "food transporters." It's more fun to have his company, of course. We get to check out lots of different areas of the city and it creates opportunities to talk about how other people live, how fortunate we are and how we have a responsibility to give help and give back.

Food Runners picked up and delivered 114,040 pounds of food in the month of May. Volunteers per-formed 838 runs and the truck did 164. A big thank you to McCall Catering for the great donations following an e-vent for 2,000 at Treasure Island on 5/13 as well as the Black and White Ball on 5/22. Kudos and thanks to ace volunteers Jane K. and Sally H., both of whom volunteered to ride along on the FR truck assisting on those same enormous late night pick ups.

Nutritious food is still being thrown away every day in San Francisco. Did you know that approximately 160,000 San Franciscans don't have enough to eat on a daily basis? Tell your friends and local food related businesses about Food Runners. Helping to alleviate hunger and prevent waste is just a phone call and a car ride away.